But Paul points out that the law came in to increase the trespass, probably in the sense that once people had written laws from God, they committed not just “sins” against God’s law in their conscience, but, even more seriously, willful “trespasses” (Gk. In Judaism there was the proverb, “The more Torah the more life” (Mishnah, Aboth 2.7). The typical Jewish view in Paul’s day was that God gave the law to counteract the sinful human impulse. Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Salvation, therefore, in every respect, is not your own doing. This use of the neuter pronoun to take in the whole of a complex idea is quite common in Greek (e.g., 6:1) its use here makes it clear that faith, no less than grace, is a gift of God. Accordingly, “this” points to the whole process of “salvation by grace through faith” as being the gift of God and not something that we can accomplish ourselves. The Greek pronoun is neuter, while “grace” and “faith” are feminine. Faith is a confident trust and reliance upon Christ Jesus and is the only means by which one can obtain salvation. sesōsmenoi, perfect tense) communicates that the Christian’s salvation is fully secured. 5:9) “by grace you have been saved” is repeated from Eph. Saved refers to deliverance from God’s wrath at the final judgment (Rom. God’s grace not only offers salvation but also secures it. But grace may also be understood as a “power” in these verses. Read Moreīy grace refers to God’s favor upon those who have transgressed his law and sinned against him. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. And this is not your own doing it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Ephesians 2:8–9įor by grace you have been saved through faith. All commentary notes adapted from the ESV Study Bible. This article is part of the Key Bible Verses series.

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